Magnetic strap assembly and method

ABSTRACT

A magnetic strap assembly includes a ribbon member having a first surface and a second surface. An adhesive member having a first surface and a second surface is coupled to the ribbon member along the first surfaces. A magnet is coupled to the second surface of the ribbon member and the second surface of the adhesive member includes an adhesive to couple it to an external object, such as clothing or a type of fabric. The strap assembly is premanufactured and used by an installer in desired cut lengths to install on clothing for example to facilitate closing openings and enabling those with hand operation deficiencies the ability to dress themselves without struggling with mainstream fasteners.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates to a fastener assembly, and more particularly to a fastener assembly for use in magnetically closing opening, such as in the use of fabrics.

2. Description of Related Art

There are several mostly known methods of closure system in the field of clothing, underclothing, leather goods, bags, shoes, accessories, fabric materials and other field of application that permit to keep two or more components together. The best known and widely used are the buttons (classical, automatic or magnetic), snaps, hook-and-eye fastener, clasps, the zipper, hook-and-loop (Velcro), buckles, laces, magnetic bands etc.

All these closure devices permanently attached to the garment must be mechanically manipulated at the length of opening/closing and may be unacceptable for a wide range of people (permanently and/or temporary physically disabled, blind etc). Additionally, any of these devices create some other inconveniences in application and use (that will be mentioned below) that make them unpractical, uncomfortable and expensive.

Presently there exists a need for a new closure/opening system which will resolve inconveniences and difficulties for disabled, blind people as well as other categorizes of the people, for example the elderly, pregnant women, children etc. A goal of the present application is to present such an assembly that optimizes weight, flexibility, reliability, cost, and ease of washing of closure system. The present assembly should be useful and functional in all other fields of application outside of just clothing, namely with other industries where fabrics or materials are needed to be releasably coupled.

With respect to clothing, classical buttons, snaps, hook-and-eye, fasteners, clasps represent traditional closure methods, and create inconveniences for the user. Each of these can be difficult to manipulate or operate with elderly or those with functional hand disabilities. The zipper and hook-and-loop closure (known also as VELCRO) are intended to avoid some of theses problems but they create new inconveniences. So the zipper often causes jamming of fabric and leather parts inside that complicate a lot the closure process. The hook-and-loop closure is used to avoid some of these inconveniences, but is not easily washable and may catch other fabrics and become clogged with lint, wool, hair, dust etc. It also can damage skin and fabric if it is not aligned perfectly together. Although strides have been, shortcomings remain.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present application to provide a magnetic strap assembly and method that is ideally suited for closing gaps in clothing and releasably coupling two or more fabrics together. The assembly of the present application includes a ribbon that is bonded to an adhesive layer. A plurality of magnets are sewn onto the ribbon. The assembly is further adhered to a fabric and later fastened. The assembly includes the interaction of two bands where the magnets are attracted to one another to form a closure or coupling of the fabric to which it is attached.

It is a further object of the present application that a first band is formed by attaching an adhesive member to a first surface of a ribbon member. The magnets are packaged into an enclosure and fastened to the second surface of the ribbon member. The first band is then adhered to a fabric through heat. The surface of the adhesive member opposite of the ribbon member is applied to the fabric surface with the heat. Fastening of the first band member is then performed to secure the first band in position. One or more other bands may be applied to opposing fabric to allow the magnets to couple together.

An object of the present application is to apply this assembly and method to any known industries and not just clothing. The assembly is configured to be quick and easy to assembly and apply to a surface. The magnets may be of any particular strength so as to be suited for application in different areas of the body or in different industries.

Ultimately the invention may take many embodiments. In these ways, the present invention overcomes the disadvantages inherent in the prior art. The more important features have thus been outlined in order that the more detailed description that follows may be better understood and to ensure that the present contribution to the art is appreciated. Additional features will be described hereinafter and will form the subject matter of the claims that follow.

Many objects of the present application will appear from the following description and appended claims, reference being made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification wherein like reference characters designate corresponding parts in the several views.

Before explaining at least one embodiment of the present invention in detail, it is to be understood that the embodiments are not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangements of the components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The embodiments are capable of being practiced and carried out in various ways. Also it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

As such, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception, upon which this disclosure is based, may readily be utilized as a basis for the designing of other structures, methods and systems for carrying out the various purposes of the present design. It is important, therefore, that the claims be regarded as including such equivalent constructions insofar as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present application.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The novel features believed characteristic of the application are set forth in the appended claims. However, the application itself, as well as a preferred mode of use, and further objectives and advantages thereof, will best be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a magnetic strap assembly according to an embodiment of the present application.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded side view of the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a magnet and housing in the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is an enlarged top view of the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a chart of a method of using the magnetic strap assembly of FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a side view of the magnet strap assembly of FIG. 1 installed within clothing.

While the embodiments and method of the present application is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms, specific embodiments thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the description herein of specific embodiments is not intended to limit the application to the particular embodiment disclosed, but on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the process of the present application as defined by the appended claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Illustrative embodiments of the preferred embodiment are described below. In the interest of clarity, not all features of an actual implementation are described in this specification. It will of course be appreciated that in the development of any such actual embodiment, numerous implementation-specific decisions must be made to achieve the developer's specific goals, such as compliance with system-related and business-related constraints, which will vary from one implementation to another. Moreover, it will be appreciated that such a development effort might be complex and time-consuming but would nevertheless be a routine undertaking for those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In the specification, reference may be made to the spatial relationships between various components and to the spatial orientation of various aspects of components as the devices are depicted in the attached drawings. However, as will be recognized by those skilled in the art after a complete reading of the present application, the devices, members, apparatuses, etc. described herein may be positioned in any desired orientation. Thus, the use of terms to describe a spatial relationship between various components or to describe the spatial orientation of aspects of such components should be understood to describe a relative relationship between the components or a spatial orientation of aspects of such components, respectively, as the embodiments described herein may be oriented in any desired direction.

The embodiments and method in accordance with the present application overcomes one or more of the above-discussed problems commonly associated with the prior art discussed previously. In particular, the magnetic strap assembly is configured to provide users greater ability to fasten together openings in clothing. Such is important particularly with those that have decreased motor skills or limitations with their hands. The magnetic strap assembly is sewn into closing and replace conventional fasteners, thereby relying on magnetic attraction between two magnets to close or secure ends of the fabric together. This is useful to replace buttons, zippers, or clasps among other types of fasteners. The assembly can be modified in length and applied as needed to clothing. It is understood that clothing is merely only one type of use of the magnetic strap assembly and may be used in any industry for multiple purposes and is therefore not intended to be limited to clothing as described herein. These and other unique features are discussed below and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments and method will be understood, both as to its structure and operation, from the accompanying drawings, taken in conjunction with the accompanying description. Several embodiments of the assembly may be presented herein. It should be understood that various components, parts, and features of the different embodiments may be combined together and/or interchanged with one another, all of which are within the scope of the present application, even though not all variations and particular embodiments are shown in the drawings. It should also be understood that the mixing and matching of features, elements, and/or functions between various embodiments is expressly contemplated herein so that one of ordinary skill in the art would appreciate from this disclosure that the features, elements, and/or functions of one embodiment may be incorporated into another embodiment as appropriate, unless otherwise described.

Referring now to the Figures wherein like reference characters identify corresponding or similar elements in form and function throughout the several views. The following Figures describe embodiments of the present application and its associated features. With reference now to the Figures, embodiments of the present application are herein described. It should be noted that the articles “a”, “an”, and “the”, as used in this specification, include plural referents unless the content clearly dictates otherwise.

Referring now to FIGS. 1-3 in the drawings, a magnetic strap assembly is illustrated. Magnetic strap assembly 101 includes a ribbon member 103, and adhesive member 105, and a magnet 107. Ribbon member 103 and adhesive member 105 are coupled together to form a band. Each of ribbon member 103 and adhesive member 105 are flexible to permit movement along its length, lateral movement, folding and twisting.

Ribbon member 103 is ideally a fabric type material having one or more types of fibers. The fibers may be natural or synthetic, and in any ratio relative to one another. The tightness of the weave may be of any value to permit one to select the appropriate flexibility of the overall band, wherein the tighter the weave, usually the more rigid the fabric material is. Adhesive member 105 is configured to have layers of adhesive on opposing surfaces to facilitate initial bonding to corresponding surfaces of ribbon member 103. An example of adhesive member 105 may be an adhesive tape activated through heat.

Magnets 107 may be of any shape and size. Furthermore, the strength of the magnets 107 can be equal or differ along the length of the band. The physical features and characteristics, such as strength and size, of the magnets 107 are selected according to the intended purpose and application. Magnets 107 are optionally held within a housing 109 to facilitate its attachment to ribbon member 103. Where housing 109 is not used, magnet 107 may be located between members 103 and 105. Although the concept of inserting magnets into strips may be possible without the use of housing 109, doing such requires typically inserting it into a pocket/pouch formed between members 103 and 105, or on to ribbon member 103. Although possible, this process is extremely time consuming.

Housing 109 is configured to surround a portion of magnet 107 and permit its attachment to ribbon member 103 through a type of fastener or fastening method. Housing 109 may also be flexible to coincide with that of the relative flexibility of members 103 and 105. It is preferred that the thickness and type of material of housing 109 be of such as to not infringe the ability of magnet 107 to be attracted to another magnet. FIGS. 2 and 3 in the drawings show a top view and a bottom view, respectively, of assembly 101.

Referring now also to FIGS. 4 and 5 in the drawings, side views of assembly 101 are illustrated. In particular to FIG. 5, and exploded view is shown wherein assembly 101 is shown with an external object 112 located beneath adhesive member 105. Assembly 101 includes ribbon member 103 having a first surface 111 and a second surface 113. Adhesive member 105 has a first surface 115 and a second surface 117. Adhesive member 105 includes an adhesive along each surface 115 and 117. It is understood that some embodiments may only include one surface with an adhesive. The use of an adhesive is intended to facilitate a simpler and easier attachment to object 112. The adhesive provides an initial attachment to permit a user or installer of assembly 101 time to fully secure assembly 101 to object 112 via known fastening methods. Without the adhesive, the installer would need to pin down assembly 101 to object 112 which increases time of installation.

In a preferred embodiment, first surface 115 of adhesive member 115 is bonded to the first surface 111 of ribbon member 103. The bonding or activation of the adhesive may be done in various ways. In instances where adhesive member 105 is an adhesive tape, heat activation may be used wherein an iron or other heating item may be used to activate the bonding effect.

Magnet 107 is coupled to second surface 113 of ribbon member 103, opposite adhesive member 105. Magnet 107 is typically fastened to ribbon member 103 through one or more types of fastening methods. One such method is stitching wherein housing 109 is sewn to ribbon member 103. This step may occur before or after attachment of adhesive member 105, therefore the stitching may pass through adhesive member 105. As seen in the Figures, a lateral line of stitching 119 is shown to attach housing 109 to ribbon member 105. It is important to note that the spacing of magnets 107 and/or housing 109 may be selected in accordance with intended use of the assembly 101.

Second surface 117 of the adhesive member 105 includes an adhesive that permits assembly 101 to be bonded to object 112. The adhesive is similar in operation an form to that of the adhesive on surface 115. Activation of the adhesive may be done via the application of heat. A user aligns the band relative to a desired location on object 112 and applies heat to create the bond. Secondly, a user then reinforces or secures the attachment with known fastening methods, such as stitching.

Assembly 101 may be configured to have any length and be cut to desired length by an installer. Additionally, member 103 and/or member 105 may be trimmed to size before or after bonding.

Referring now to FIG. 6 in the drawings, an enlarged side view of housing 109 and magnet 107 are illustrated. Magnet 107 is fully surrounded by housing 109 as depicted, although such is not always necessary in other embodiments.

Referring now also to FIG. 7 in the drawings, a top view of assembly 101 is shown. In this Figure, it is assumed that assembly 101 is already placed and secured to object 112. As seen, lateral stitching 119 is shown wherein housing 109 is secured to ribbon member 103. After bonding with object 112, longitudinal stitching 121 may be applied around the perimeter of assembly 101. The combination of lateral and longitudinal stitching 119 and 121 ensure housing 109 and magnet 107 are fully secured in place on all sides. It is not always necessary to have stitching around the entire housing or magnet but it is desirable. It is known that object 112 may be any fabric or material. One example is clothing.

Referring now also to FIG. 8 in the drawings, a chart of a method of use of assembly 101 is illustrated. During the assembly of assembly 101, a first band is formed by attaching the adhesive member to the ribbon member. This is done along one surface. The magnets are then coupled to the band via known fastening methods, such as sewing or stitching. The magnet may be secured first to the ribbon member and then have the adhesive member bonded to it if desired. The order of operation may be flexible. Once the band is formed, the second surface of the adhesive member is bonded to an article or object. This also may be activated through the application of heat, similarly to that of the first bonding. This bonding helps to secure the band relative to the object for final attachment. The attachment may be done through stitching, or sewing for example. The stitching may be done around the entire perimeter or through selected sections. The installer locates a second magnet and band opposite the magnet 107 within a defined opening in the external object, thereby closing the opening by abutting the magnet with the second magnet.

As assembly 101 may come in different lengths, an installer may cut or trim selected lengths out for use and application to an object. Therefore one length of assembly 101 may facilitate a plurality of applications on one or more objects. Additionally, an installer may select the type, size, and strength of the magnets as well as the physical characteristics of the members 103 and 105.

Referring now also to FIG. 9 in the drawings, a side view of assembly 101 installed on an object is illustrated. If the use was with clothing items/objects, the installer would cut the desired length of assembly 101, bond it to the clothing in a manner that the application of assembly 101 would take the place of the existing fasteners on the clothing. Additionally, assembly 101 may replace zippers and clasps to name a few. For example, assembly 101 may be secured to the underside surface of fabric opposite buttons. A plurality of different lengths of assembly 101 are secured to the clothing and are arranged to allow the magnets of the different lengths to be attracted to each other. This permits the closure of the openings or ends of the clothing and avoids the need of an end user to use the buttons, clasps, or zippers (other traditional fasteners) on the clothing. The weight and flexibility of members 103/105 and magnets 107 may be selected to avoid unwanted distortion of the object 112 when hanging in use.

The particular embodiments disclosed above are illustrative only, as the application may be modified and practiced in different but equivalent manners apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the teachings herein. It is therefore evident that the particular embodiments disclosed above may be altered or modified, and all such variations are considered within the scope and spirit of the application. Accordingly, the protection sought herein is as set forth in the description. It is apparent that an application with significant advantages has been described and illustrated. Although the present application is shown in a limited number of forms, it is not limited to just these forms, but is amenable to various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A strap assembly, comprising: a ribbon member having a first surface and a second surface; an adhesive member having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface of the adhesive member bonded to the first surface of the ribbon member, thereby forming a first band; and a magnet coupled to the second surface of the ribbon member; wherein the second surface of the adhesive member includes an adhesive.
 2. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the magnet is coupled to the ribbon member and the adhesive member.
 3. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the first surface of the adhesive member is bonded to the first surface of the ribbon member through the application of heat.
 4. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the adhesive member is activated through heat.
 5. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: an external object for coupling to the second surface of the adhesive member.
 6. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the adhesive member is coupled to the external object via the application of heat.
 7. The assembly of claim 5, wherein the external object is a fabric.
 8. The assembly of claim 1, further comprising: a second band having a second ribbon member and a second adhesive member with a second magnet, the magnet of the second band being attracted to the magnet of the first band.
 9. The assembly of claim 1, wherein the magnet is located within a housing, the housing coupled to the ribbon member.
 10. A method of coupling two objects, comprising: obtaining a ribbon member and an adhesive member; bonding a first surface of the adhesive member to a first surface of the ribbon member; attaching a magnet to a second surface of the ribbon member; and bonding a second surface of the adhesive member to an external object.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of bonding the adhesive member and the ribbon member occurs through the application of heat to the adhesive member.
 12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of bonding the adhesive member and the external object occurs through the application of heat to the adhesive member.
 13. The method of claim 10, wherein the magnet is located within a flexible housing, the housing secured to the ribbon member.
 14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of securing the flexible housing is done with stitching.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein the external object is a fabric material.
 16. The method of claim 15, further comprising: locating a second magnet opposite the magnet within a defined opening in the external object, closing the opening by abutting the magnet with the second magnet.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the fabric is clothing.
 18. The method of claim 10, further comprising: coupling the magnet to a second magnet.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second magnet is remote from the ribbon member.
 20. The method of claim 10, further comprising: trimming at least one of the adhesive member and the ribbon member. 